The new 2014 Corvette Stingray is a design disaster. This was an historic opportunity to introduce an updated, futuristic-retro take on the classic Stingray's 50th anniversary and GM has blown it big time. Stinkray would be a more accurate name.
Though there are vague references to the classic 1963 Stingray coupe, they are mild and inconsequential. And they're buried in a blizzard of bad design cliches. From its blacked-out A pillar, to its crazy busy rear view, this car is a mess.
GM showed they can do modern updates on classic themes with their present Camaro design. It's a very successful take on classic themes that's brought this car big sales (it's outselling the Mustang) in spite of its limited visibility and trunk space. The hope was that GM designers would do a similar stellar job on the new Stingray, but something went horribly wrong.
The 2009 Stingray concept that GM built for the Transformers 2 movie showed great promise that the company's designers "got it," but that has proved a false lead.
I read a comment by a General Motors designer once that, when designing a new model, a specific team would work in anonymity, but when designing a new Corvette, everybody wanted to get involved and contribute their two cents. This looks like exactly what happened with the 2014 Stingray--too many ideas from too many cooks that "spoiled the broth." Perhaps this explains a text book example of design gone wrong: Hey, let's put a crease here! Oh boy, let's slap a scoop there!
Well, at least the front end isn't too bad. They've improved the interior a lot. And the new, stylized Stingray logo is beautiful. It's new and it'll sell, but what a blunder.
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